Chair construction



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1968 1 .\'\"ENTOR. M R I SO N EARLE BY w Aqent 1969 E. A. MORRISON CHAIR CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1968 I -EN'IY )R EARLE A. MO ISON L Agent United States Patent 3,471,200 CHAIR CONSTRUCTION Earle A. Morrison, 3490 Cypress St., Vancouver 9, British Columbia, Canada Filed Feb. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 707,524 Int. Cl. A47c 7/02 US. (:1. 297-4441 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to chair constructions wherein a body-supporting portion is attached to a structural framework, and more particularly to the configuration of the body-supporting portion of the chair' where it is connected to the structural framework. I

It is an object of this invention to provide a chair construction which is both simple and economical to manufacture. j

It is a further object of this invention to provide a chair construction in which the body-supporting portion of the chair is attached to the structural framework in such a way as to increase the deflection of the body-supporting portion of the chair under a given load, and thereby to enhance the cushion effect in the body-supporting portion.

Accordingly, this invention provides a chair construction, comprising: a supporting framework which includes elongate members in substantially horizontal orientations, and a stiff but resilient member adapted to supporta sitter on one face thereof, the member having at least two extremities attached to different ones of said elongate mem bers, the portion of the member adjacent each attached extremity 'being scrolled spirally away from said one face to bring the extremity into contact with the top of its respective elongate member.

Two embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken at the line 3--3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View taken at the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken at the line 5-5 in FIGURE 1.

Turning first to FIGURE 1, a chair generally shown at is seen to comprise generally a supporting frame work 12 and a body-supporting sheet member 14. The supporting framework 12 includes two rearward vertical members 13 (of which only one is visible in FIGURE 1), two forward vertical members 14, a forward horizontal member 16 bridging between the upper ends of the forward vertical members 14, two side horizontal members 18 (only one of which is visible in FIGURE 1), a lower rearward horizontal member 19 bridging between the two rearward vertical members 13, and an upper rear- 3,471,200 Patented Oct. 7, 1969 ice ward horizontal member 20 bridging between the upper ends of the rearward vertical members 13. In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, the body-supporting member 14 is a stiff but resilient sheet member shaped to provide a seat portion 20 and a back portion 21 for supporting the body of a sitter. The forward edge 22 and the rearward edge 24 of the sheet member 14 are attached, respectively, to the forwardhorizontal member 16 and the upper rearward horizontal member 20. The marginal portion of the sheet member 14 adjacent each edge 22 and 24 is scrolled spirally such that it encircles its respective horizontal member, passes therebeneath, and brings the edge 22 or 24 into contact with the top of the elongate member. This configuration is clearly shown in FIGURE 1. For the sake of clarity of definition in the appended claims, the scrolled portions of the sheet member 14 will be referred to as being scrolled spirally away from the surface of the sheet member 14 which supports the sitter. This terminology means that the surface of the sheet member 14 which contacts a person sitting on the chair is the surface which is on the outside of the scroll convolutions. It Will be appreciated that if the scrolled portion were scrolled spirally toward the surface supporting a sitter, i.e. if the sitter-supporting surface were on the inside of the scroll convolutions, the scroll would project toward the body of the sitter and make the chair extremely uncomfortable, if not impossible to use.

As mentioned above, the edges 22 and 24 contact their respective horizontal members on the tops of the latter. This is important because it ensures that the edges 22 and 24 will be urged against their respective horizontal members when the chair is used, rather than being pulled away from the horizontal members as would be the case if the edges 22 and 24 were attached at the underside of their respective horizontal members.

A further consideration in the formation of the scrolled portions adjacent the edges 22 and 24 relates to the radial distance between the convolutions of the scroll. In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, the members 13 and 20 are integral, such that it is not possible to slide the horizontal members 16 and 20 longitudinally into position within the scrolled portions of the sheet member 14 when p the chair is being assembled. Thus, in order to permit assembly of the chair, the adjacent convolutions of each scrolled portion must be spaced from each other sufficiently far to permit the respective horizontal members to pass inwardly between the convolutions to a position adjacent the edge.

' It will be appreciated that other supporting frameworks could be designed in which it was possible to slide the horizontal members longitudinally into position within the scrolled portions, and for this reason the provision of convolution spacing sufficient to permit the horizontal member to pass between convolutions is not considered an essential limitation.

Attention is now directed to FIGURE 3, in which the upper rearward horizontal member 20 is shown in section, and in which the preferred curvature of the scrolled portion of the sheet member 14 is shown. .Broken line circles 26 and 27 represent intermediate positions of the upper rearward horizontal member 20 as it is being passed inwardly between the convolutions to the solid line position shown in FIGURE 3. It will be noted that, at every point between the convolutions, there is sufficient spacing for the member 20 to pass without jamming.

The purpose of scrolling the portions of the sheet member 14 adjacent the attached edges 22 and 24 is to permit the sheet member 14 to deflect to a greater degree under load than it would if its edges were attached without being scrolled. In other words, the scrolling of the attached edges gives the sheet member 14 a greater cushion effect than it would normally have. Attention 3 is directed to FIGURE 5, which shows in solid lines the scroll configuration at the forward horizontal member 16 when the chair is unloaded, and which shows in broken lines the scroll configuration when the chair is loaded. It will be clear from this figure that the cushion effect is derived from the distortion of the scroll under load.

Attention is now directed to FIGURES 2 and 4, in which the second embodiment of this invention is shown. A supporting framework 30 includes a rearward horizontal member 31 and two side horizontal members 32. The sheet member 34 includes a back portion 35, a seat portion 36, and two side portions 37. The back portion 35 is scrolled adjacent the edge 38 in exactly the same manner as the back 21 in FIGURE 1. The sides 37 are scrolled similarly to the back portion 35, as can be seen in FIGURE 4. Again, in FIGURE 2, as in FIGURE 1, the edges which are attached to the horizontal members contact the horizontal members along the top of the latter, in order to ensure a compression load as between the horizontal member and the attached edge.

A large choice of materials is available for the sheet member 14. Reinforced plastics, sheet metal and laminated wood products, for example, could all be employed for the manufacture of the chair construction according to this invention. The use of sheet metal, however, is particularly advantageous with respect to the ease with which a flat edge can be scrolled, and the accurate duplication of a given scroll configuration. In this connection, it will be noted in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, that the configuration of the three scrolled portions is identical. Note, for example, that the actual edge of each sheet member (the termination point of each scroll) lies in a plane which contains the axis of the respective horizontal member and which is normal to the fiat portion of the sheet member immediately adjacent the scrolled portion thereof. This is not, of course, an essential limitation of this invention, but merely a consequence of providing identical scroll portions on the sheet member, which provision is likewise not essential to this invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, it will be readily appreciated that the sheet member 14 could be replaced by a plurality of parallel, spaced-apart bands all having the same general outline and scroll configurations as the sheet member 14, without departing from the essence of this invention. It will further be appreciated that the principle of this invention would be employed if the sheet member 14 were replaced by a plurality of rods having no appreciable lateral dimension. In the appended claim 1, the word member is intended to include within its ambit slat-like, band-like or rod-like members, as well as sheet members of the kind illustrated.

In the two embodiments disclosed in this invention, the framework members to which the edges of the sheet members 14 and 34 are attached are shown as horizontal. It will be appreciated that a small departure from horizontal orientation in these members will not affect the advantages deriving from this invention. Provided that the force being transmitted from the seat member to the framework member has its largest component perpendicular to the framework member, the cushion effect will be retained.

The attachment of the edges of the sheet members to the framework members can be accomplished in any number of conventional ways. For example, the edges can be welded to the framework members, or attached thereto by means of mechanical fastening devices such as screws, rivets, bolts, etc.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A chair construction comprising:

a supporting framework which includes elongate members in substantially horizontal orientations,

and a stiff but resilient member adapted to support a sitter on one face thereof, the resilient member having at least two extremities attached to diiferent ones of said elongate members, the portion of the resilient member adjacent each attached extremity being scrolled spirally away from said one face to encircle its respective elongate member in spaced relation therewith and to bring the extremity into contact with the top of its respective elongate member.

2. A chair construction as claimed in claim 1, in which said stiff but resilient member is a sheet member, the extremities of said sheet member being the edges thereof.

3. A chair construction as claimed in claim 1, in which adjacent convolutions of each scrolled portion are spaced from each other sufiiciently far to permit the elongate member to pass inwardly between the convolutions to a position adjacent said opposite face of the extremity.

4. A chair construction as claimed in claim 2, in which adjacent convolutions of each scrolled portion are spaced from each other sufliciently far to permit the elongate member to pass inwardly between the convolutions to a position adjacent said opposite face of the extremity, and in which the elongate members are of circular cross-section.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,192,101 2/1940 Peskin 2671 2,826,523 3/1958 Blaszkowski 16146 3,123,379 3/1964 Stocking 297441 X 3,163,467 12/1964 Deneau 297388 3,167,352 1/1965 Johnson 297-445 3,399,920 9/1968 Hehn 297-452 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 297 7 

